Luce Center

Historical souvenir

A metal spoon embossed on the handle end with two men surrounded by a wreath and the date "March 9, 1898". A banner is embossed around the handle the reads "50,000,000 For Defense", and on the bowl with an eagle over the towers of a ship sinking just below the surface of the water and the legend "Feb. 15th 1898/ Maine". On February 15, 1898, an explosion of unknown origin sank the battleship U.S.S. Maine in the Havana, Cuba harbor, killing 266 of the 354 crew members. The sinking of the Maine incited United States passions against Spain, eventually leading to a naval blockade of Cuba and a declaration of war. On March 9, 1898, Congress passed a law allocating fifty million dollars to build up military strength.

Credit Line:

Gift of Bella C. Landauer

Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.